"Laboratory analyses at QSUNT have been interrupted"/ DP requests an interpellation with the Minister of Health

2026-03-31 11:28:00, Aktualitet CNA

"Laboratory analyses at QSUNT have been interrupted"/ DP requests an

The Democratic Party has denounced today the interruption of laboratory tests at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Center.

DP MP Bardh Spahia stated in a statement to the media that this happens every month after the 20th, adding that "thousands of patients are left to their fate." Regarding the reported situation, he requested an interpellation with the Minister of Health, Evis Sala.

According to him, the latter should show citizens who is responsible for the interruption of the tests and where the funds for the construction of the laboratories go.

Full statement:

Today we are witnessing a criminal and unprecedented act that is being consumed at the expense of the lives of Albanian citizens. After the 20th of each month, the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center (MUT) stops performing laboratory tests, leaving thousands of patients at the mercy of fate. This is not just an administrative failure; this is an open crime against the lives of our fellow citizens.

I have been waiting for a long time for the Ministry of Health, as the responsible authority, to take measures to restore the normality of laboratory tests at the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center. In truth, I had no illusions that anything would change quickly from this scandalous reality of almost 10 years.

What changed, for the first time, was the acceptance of the problem: The Minister of Health herself said that the system has problems and promised to fix it “within a year.” But since that moment, the government, instead of dealing with solving the problem, has been dealing with changing the truth. A truth that, for years, has been denied by the Prime Minister and every other Minister of Health.

Now that we have the confirmation from the Minister of Health herself, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the problem exists or not. Now only one question remains: Why does this happen every month? And another equally important one:

Who is responsible for this situation that is repeated regularly? There are no two truths about the concession of laboratory analyses. There is only one: this system was built by the Rama government to protect the concessionaire, not the citizen. While citizens are told that “there is no budget” for basic analyses, we see how taxpayers' money flows freely into corrupt projects.

They have money to build profitable hotel structures and parking lots within the territory of the QSUT, but they do not have money for the analyzes that save patients' lives. Millions of euros continue to be paid for incinerators that do not exist, for the corrupt sterilization affair and the shady schemes of “Tiger 1” and “Tiger 2”. How can an additional 50 million euros be justified for a tunnel and road with staggering costs, when the largest hospital in the country cannot offer an elementary analysis?

Honest Albanians pay taxes but do not receive even the minimum of services in return and are faced only with theft in every institution and state office. The money is there, but it is stolen at the expense of the people's health! The way this contract is built clearly determines: when the projected budget runs out, normal service for the citizen stops and only the citizen takes on the risk. Because it is the citizen who:

-waits for weeks,
-postpones tests,
-or is forced to pay out of pocket.

This is not just a technical problem. This is a governance model that focuses on the profit of the concessionaire, not on quality service for patients.

?According to data from the World Health Organization, over 60% of health care costs in Albania are paid directly from citizens' pockets. This means that most Albanians pay for tests, visits, or treatments themselves because they cannot receive them in time from the public system.

?Faced with this total collapse, we request an Interpellation with the Minister of Health.

The minister must immediately appear before the Albanians and give an account: Why have the tests been stopped? Where have the funds dedicated to the laboratories gone? How can the luxury of hotels and golden streets have priority over the life of a patient waiting in line at the QSUT?

Every hour of delay in providing an account is a death sentence for those who cannot afford to go to private hospitals.

On the other hand, we also consider the lack of investigation and measures taken for this contract by SPAK unacceptable. While no one has been brought to justice, the only ones paying the cost of corruption in healthcare and the cost of dragging out investigations are Albanians.
Dear
fellow citizens, doctors and intellectuals, silence at this moment is complicity. This is no longer a political issue, it is a matter of survival. Do not allow your hard-earned money to return to the villas and bank accounts of those in power, while you and your relatives hang around the doors of hospitals without receiving the minimum service.

Enough with the theft of life! Let's react today for what is most precious to man: HEALTH AND LIFE! When theft kills health, there is only one remedy left, our courage to protect life. / CNA